


Luminosity

by FiftyStars



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Planet, Alien Technology, Alternate Universe - Space, Author Is Sleep Deprived, BAMF Nebula (Marvel), BAMF Pepper Potts, BAMF Peter Parker, Cancer, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, Gen, Hey guess what, IN SPACE!, Infinity Gems, Infinity pillow case, Inspired By a Sleeping at Last Song, Its all ok in the end he finds someone to snap the gauntlet i promise, Kid Fic, Medical Inaccuracies, Nebula is a Good Bro (Marvel), Nonbinary Peter Parker, Pepper Potts Dies, Pepper Potts as Rescue, Peter Parker Acts Like a Spider, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Nonbinary, Peter Parker is Trying His Best, Precious Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Thanos (Marvel) Dies, The Author Regrets Everything, The chapter summaries are my revision notes for physics, They all badass, Tony Stark gets dusted but he's ok dw, Weird Plot Shit, What Have I Done, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:00:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24823477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiftyStars/pseuds/FiftyStars
Summary: Perspective is a strange concept. Stars can seem as if they are within arms reach. Hindsight is 20/20. Foresight is for wizards who can see 14,000,605 possibilities for future events and find only one happy ending.What Thanos saw as salvation, the Universe saw as annihilation.The distance between stars is a longer journey than anyone could possibly fathom. Good thing Peter has Nebula to help him navigate life among them, while caring for a newborn star of his own.OrPeter being a teenage parent/older brother to Morgan in space while desperately trying to find someone to wield the pillowcase of infinity stones Nebula has stowed on the ship.  Written while listening to Atlas: Space by Sleeping At Last. Because vibes.
Relationships: All ships are background, Brunnhilde | Valkyrie/Carol Danvers, Nebula & Peter Parker, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 39
Kudos: 73





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luminosity
> 
> In astronomy, luminosity is the total amount of energy emitted by a star, galaxy or other astronomical object per unit time. It allows us to determine how far it is from Earth, and the processes that make them shine 

Æᘉ’ᕲᖇᓍᘻéᕲē

ANDROMEDA [M-31], sector B-97

Peter was aware of the nebulae that cascaded past them in the peripherals of his vision from the view of the panoramic ballistic strength windows, amorphous, towering constructs that burned themselves into his memory, inescapably vast.

Scattered among the discordant unfurling stardust were the stars themselves, some almost ephemeral in comparison, and impossibly distant. Each one had enough energy to survive for longer than he ever would, longer than entire civilisations, adrift and indifferent in the cold void that encompassed them all.

He absently wondered at the light-years between him and them.

Their ship, the Benatar, had either enough fuel for the return to Earth, to home, using the untested warp drive, which required heavy ion fusion. It also had enough fuel to travel at almost certainly 96.7% the speed of light, directly to Xandar’s pre-programmed coordinates.

Needless to say, they had chosen Xandar as their next stop. After all, Xandar’s star system and Titan’s barely has half a light-years distance between them. They had both once been part of the same empire before the Titans had grown greedy and wrathful. Before they had forged a monster.

The distance from Earth grew, and with it grew the chasm that split his heart, like two tectonic plates that caused tsunamis and earthquakes and irreparable damage to his very being. It left him gasping awake in the middle of a sleep cycle, unable to inhale because _there’s no oxygen in the abyss between stars._

It was just him, Nebula, and Pepper, hearts beating in synchrony in the soundlessness of the interstellar medium. They were all that was left of a team long fallen to atoms and ash.

They were components of his own constellation.


	2. Momentum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Momentum
> 
> /məˈmɛntəm/
> 
> noun  
> 1.  
> PHYSICS: the quantity of motion of a moving body, measured as a product of its mass and velocity.  
> 2.  
> the impetus gained by a moving object.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Pepper wanted was to keep Tony alive, and if that meant following him and Peter onto a doughnut shaped spaceship, then so be it.

ᖶᘿᖇᖇā

EARTH, planet C-53

When the giant doughnut shaped spaceship appeared in the sky above the city, Pepper knew that some how, in some way, Tony was going to end up in the thick of a world ending event and this time, she wouldn’t let him pull off his usual bullshit alone. Not only had he proven that without intervention he had zero regard for his own safety, he was also her fiancé. He’d made a commitment, and so had she. Long gone were the days when Pepper accused Tony of loving his technology more than her. She knew better now.

Pepper squared her shoulders and called FRIDAY, because damned if was going to sit this one out after Tony had made her a suit of her very own.

Rescue.

A lot of things could be said about Tony, but the one thing that was certain is that he would always put her safety first. As his PA she had been sceptical at first, of his inability to stay sober and serious long enough to play hero. As his CEO she had felt exhausted and exasperated by his constant need to improve his suits, to help the Avengers, who in turn rewarded his efforts with a complete refusal of the Accords. They had left Tony with a shield in his chest. All Pepper had felt then was rage, a constant spiral of how could they and they will regret the day they met me. In the end, both she and Tony had grown from the time they first met, and could finally put aside differences and grudges and see each other as more. 

She was not about to lose that progress to a fucking _doughnut_.

There, glinting in the distance was the rescue armour, bold in its metallic blue and silver. Sleeker, made for strength and agility and battle. It decelerated as it came towards her, before opening up in a wave of nanotech and encasing her. The inside of the armour audibly hummed with power, with a billion nanites working in tandem as the HUD lit up with statistics, and a comm link connected to the others in the field. This was, currently, a list that consisted of 3 people, Ironman, the Hulk, and Spider-man.

“There are currently two hostile calling themselves Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian, claiming to be members of the ‘Black Order’,” Tony muttered into the comms, followed by the shout: “Get lost Squidward!"

Peter, bless his 15 year old heart, giggled.

“Why am I not surprised that you’re here too?” Pepper sighed. 

The next few moments were as chaotic as Pepper predicted, with wizards and aliens alike throwing destructive forces towards each other while Tony and Peter bantered as if it were a regular Tuesday afternoon, filled with enough pop culture references to confuse even someone as well versed in their language as Pepper herself. 

Shoot first, ask existential questions later.  
Pepper darted about deflecting blasts and rubble, relocating civilians, and shooting at the huge ugly alien brute.

That’s when reality itself decided to be one great pop culture reference itself.

“I’m being beamed up!” yelled Peter, and Pepper swore her heart stopped.

“Peter! I’m not letting you anywhere near that ship!” she told him over the comms. She didn’t know who she was trying to convince more. All she knew was the pounding of her heart in her ears, a constant litany of not again. It was the battle of New York all over again, Tony flying into the portal above the city and she didn’t know if he would come back.

Then she was following Peter onto The Doughnut. She wasn’t much better at naming things than Tony, she noted absently as the sheer absurdity of the situation crashed into her at full force. The engines were firing at a deafening pace on the inner ring of the ship, revolving so fast it was a blur of light and heat. Building momentum. It was probably capable of interstellar space travel, something that Tony would never stop talking about. 

She would listen to his voice all day if it meant he was back on Earth, safe.


	3. Gravitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gravitation
> 
> /ɡravɪˈteɪʃ(ə)n/
> 
> noun  
> 1.movement, or a tendency to move, towards a centre of gravity, as in the falling of bodies to the earth.

ƬIƬΛП

TITAN, planet B-46

Having a moon thrown at you is nobodies idea of a fun time. At least, no sane person thinks so. Peter reserved judgement, seeing as he was the only one trying to survive the aftermath of the said moon crashing into Titan. 

Distantly, he heard Pepper asking frantically for Tony and him over the comms.

Peter leapt with the grace that came with having super reflexes in a gravitational field weaker than Earth’s. The entire planet had tilted on its axis and was lost without one of its three moons. Peter could sympathise, his own world felt as if it had been shifted on an invisible axis. He lunged and caught and webbed every falling person he could find, guilty that he couldn’t name most.

Then Tony’s voice cried out, a pained and guttural sound. His spider senses flared, a sharp jab in comparison to its already low humming. Peter whipped his head to the side and his eyes widened at the sight of Tony, impaled with what looked like his own nanotech weapon, Pepper sprawled unconscious not far from him. As if she had been torn away from Tony’s injured form by the Mad Titan. Bile rose up in his throat.

He choked on fallen moon dust.

-And then Dr Strange was giving up his infinity gem. The time stone. Tony was shaking his head incredulously as Peter watched on, rooted to the spot as if the planet’s gravity had been multiplied while he was unaware.

Stumbling forward, Peter carefully helped Iron Man stand, before darting towards Rescue. 

“Ms Potts – Pepper – you gotta get up, please! Um, FRIDAY, diagnoses?”

“Mrs Boss is suffering from a concussion, but it seems to be minor. Medical assistance is recommended.” FRIDAY sounded worried, a questioning lilt in her Irish accent.

Pepper stirred, then sat up unsteadily, whipping her head about frantically.

“Tony! Holy shit! You’ve been stabbed, oh my gosh, where’s Thanos. Wh-” 

“He got away. With the gauntlet. And another shiny collectable.” Tony cut her off. “We gotta regroup. C’mere Pep.”

Peter was torn between making sure Tony didn’t collapse or helping Pepper up.

That choice was taken from him.

“Somethings wrong,” voiced the alien with antennae shakily, before collapsing into nothing.

One after another, the people around him flickered out of existence, the people who had fought beside him, with him. His senses were at full-blown max volume now, dialled all the way up to 11. Peter was up and hugging Tony before he realised it.

“Don’t go, Mr Stark, please- please don’t go! I’m sorry I couldn’t get his gauntlet off!” He broke.

“Whoa, kid I’m not-” 

Then Iron Man collapsed in on himself, a soundless supernova, ripped apart like a dying star under its own gravitational force. Pepper was left staring at the space he used to occupy, eyes brimming with confused tears. 

Peter stared at the fine coating of dust in his hands. At the nanobot housing unit. At the sky.

He wasn't entirely sure how much time passed when a second contained infinity, but Pepper had found her way over to him sometime between and was fiercely embracing him. The newer, cyberpunk alien rested her hand on his shoulder. Her name was Nebula.

He fell apart in their arms, just as Tony had fallen apart in his.


	4. Revolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revolution
> 
> /rɛvəˈluːʃ(ə)n/
> 
> 1\. a sudden, radical, or complete change  
> 2\. the action by a celestial body of going round in an orbit or elliptical course

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im sorry i know everything is a mess but thats because im a mess. Enjoy a nerd's rambling ♡
> 
> TW: Death. theres a severed head, peeps. it dont belong to no one important so dont worry.  
> Also pete loses his lunch bc who wouldn't

  
Had Tony still been with them, or at least another guardian, perhaps they would have been able to leave Titan that same day. As it was, they were stranded. Peter was feeling useless, unable to lift a single screwdriver without bursting into another round of sobs. Trying to console himself, he reasoned that Pepper wasn’t doing much better, but instead, he felt worse.

Nebula, on the other hand, had thrown herself into working on the Benatar, requesting that he pick up the odd ion batteries and webbing parts of the ship in place while she welded them in place.

Perhaps, if Tony were here, they would have already been heading towards Earth.

Eventually, as the planet revolved on its altered axis, causing day to become evening, the ship began to resemble how it used to look. Peter was no expert in aerospace, so he wouldn’t know either way if it were anywhere close to ready. Pepper had tucked Tony’s nanite housing unit away in the safely of one of the ship's cabins and was in the process of trying to find medical supplies and edible rations. Half the rations she had found so far had been deemed inappropriate for human consumption by FRIDAY’s scanner, containing strange elements such as sulphur and magnesium. Peter reasoned that obviously aliens must have different dietary needs.

He wondered if May was still alive.

Nebula’s cursing allowed him to drown out most thoughts as he tried his best to repair the ship, although his hands shook and voice kept giving out. The foreign star that acted as Titan's sun had begun to edge its way towards the horizon in a pitiful imitation of Earth’s sunsets, and Peter’s homesickness renewed itself. Pepper finally joined Peter and Nebula, and was currently helping him hold up a cable that Nebula was – well, he wasn't quiet sure what tool she was wielding, and he didn’t particularly care as long as it allowed them to leave the warzone that had taken so much from him. 

A shockwave raced over them, and as sudden as it came, it left, leaving them disoriented. Stumbling out of Benatar, they were met with the sight of plush greenery and birdsong. Nebula cursed in a language he hadn’t yet heard.

“Get on the ship now. Thanos is back on Titan,” she ordered, hastily making her way towards the front of the flight cabin, not bothering to strap herself in.

Peter and Pepper looked towards each other, reaching a nonverbal agreement. Peppers eyes were lined with red, her face drawn. Thanos would pay, even if it cost their lives. That was Peter’s train of thought anyway.

They climbed into the seats beside Nebula.

“Where are we headed?” questioned Pepper as her helmet formed, obscuring her from view. Peter took that as his queue, and his own helmet formed. The smell of new car was masked by the scent of blood and sweat, but it still made his eyes well with new tears. He could feel Tony's loss in the smallest of details, and he was helpless under the onslaught of grief that followed every reminder. As if he could possibly forget.

“The Garden. Thanos' former home. He probably came back to restore his home world to its former glory. We will catch him unaware and rip his life from him as painfully as possible, so that he may realise how half the universe felt as they were ripped away from their loved ones. How _Gamora_ felt.” She buried one of her daggers into the leather arm of her seat.

Peter flinched back, nodding. He had heard that name before, and he wondered who Gamora had been to Nebula. To the other Peter, Star Lord. Under other circumstances, he would have chuckled at the title.

Finally, they reached what approximated as a continent, and landed not far from a field of grass so long Peter could probably hide amongst it. Maybe that was the plan?

“Spider-man, correct? You will approach Thanos undetected, and capture him with your webs. Make sure his gauntlet is secured. If he snaps his fingers we die, and with it our chances of victory.” Nebula said to him in her rasping tones.

Peter nodded again. No pressure. It’s not like it could get any worse, right? His palms were sweating profusely now, and Pepper looked as if she wanted to protest. He was so screwed.

But it was true. He had to be the one to subdue the Mad Titan.

“Karen, initiate Instant Kill.”

“Of course, Peter. Would you also like enhanced reconnaissance?” Karen asked, sounding a thousand times calmer than him.

“Um, sure.”

“Peter,” began Pepper, looking as bad as he felt. “Be careful. _Please_. I can’t – I don’t want to lose you, too.” She hugged him, and he couldn’t help but hug her back. 

He hadn’t known her very well before all this, but she had seemed kind. She’d had a calm aura, one that made her seem like she had everything under control. To see Pepper Potts looking at him with such desperation, it filled Peter with resolute determination. He wouldn’t fail her a second time. Here, out of range from any form of civilisation, his age was irrelevant. All he had was his powers, his experience, and this rag tag team brought together under extenuating circumstances. He could only hope this last ditch effort would be enough

He crawled across the field soundlessly, each silent step bringing him closer to the back of what looked like a large hut. From inside it he heard ragged breathing, as if Thanos was injured or exhausted. He reached a window, and prayed to whatever God that had abandoned this timeline to come back, please and thank you.

Peering inside, Peter saw Thanos sprawled on his back, watching the sky turn pale violet. The gauntlet seemed as if it was crumbling, the stones set within it barely attached. 

He pounced, filled with the type of anger he had only felt once before, on the night of Ben’s shooting. His four extra mechanical spiders legs sunk into the Titan's flesh, pining him to the wooden floor like the wings of a butterfly in a display case. Shooting webs into his eyes, he struggled as Thanos stirred underneath him. Unmoving, he began to tear the gauntlet off the limp purple limb, and with it came burnt flesh.

“ _Now_!” screamed Peter.

Pepper burst in, repulsors firing with precision as Peter was flung into the opposite wall, clutching the gauntlet. Nebula followed on her heels, holding what looked like a cross between a sword and a spear. He had no clue where she had gotten it, but it was glowing and deadly sharp, so he didn't care.

This battle differed vastly from the last. It was full of blood and desperation and fury. Peter stayed high up, gauntlet tucked safely under his left arm, while his other limbs webbed and tore at Thanos. He recognised, somewhere in his conscience, that harming someone like this was wrong, but Peter was passed the point of caring, or indeed, any sympathy at all. Nebula had the right idea, he wanted Thanos to bleed.

Rescue fired blasts relentlessly, never giving an opening, ripping into the Titan almost gleefully. Repulsor Tech formed at her fists and boots, while triangular repulsors kept her in the air, generating a blue glow. They almost looked like wings.

Nebula was the most ruthless, charging at Thanos with no qualms about causing damage, ready to give her life to kill the man she once called a father. Thanos was a force of nature, parrying each blow like he was swatting at a fly, almost indifferent to the fact that he was bleeding heavily. Thick, dark, purple blood which congealed on his rough skin and bloodied his bared teeth.

Everything was blurred around him, as he focused on making sure Thanos didn’t reach the gauntlet he now clung to like a life line. An opening presented itself to Peter, and he took it, mind whirring with trajectories. He webbed the gauntlet to the roof, out of reach, before flinging himself at Thanos.

“Nebula, now!”

Peter wrapped his legs around Thanos' neck in a move very obviously inspired by the Black Widow. Using his momentum and a well-aimed web grenade, he toppled the Titan to his knees. He leapt off, webbing back the giant’s arms as Pepper covered him. 

With one fell swoop, Nebula hacked Thanos' head clear off his shoulders. 

“That was for Gamora, and all the other life forms who have suffered at your hand,” stated Nebula viciously.

It rolled towards Peter, staring up with lifeless eyes and a permanently etched expression of anguish.

Peter threw up on the grass outside.

They had won, and now he felt like a marionette without strings, visceral relief flooding his veins, replacing the quickly metabolized adrenaline. Pepper joined him outside, gauntlet in hand and Nebula in tow. She lay her hand on his shoulder, an inscrutable expression in her kind eyes. Together, they watched the revolution of Titan, as the sun finally set on a mourning universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think The Garden is a different planet but in this fic its a place on Titan after Thanos restores it because its more poetic and makes more sense for it to be his home.


	5. Interference

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interference 
> 
> /ɪntəˈfɪər(ə)ns/  
> noun  
> 1.the action of interfering or the process of being interfered with.  
> 2\. Physics: the combination of two or more electromagnetic waveforms to form a resultant wave in which the displacement is either reinforced or cancelled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have little idea as to which direction this is going in, but then, neither do these sorry land lubbers. Onward!

  
“Wait! Nebula! It goes through the hoop, stop trying to knock the whole thing down!” Peter was exasperated.

His latest mission was to teach Nebula about ‘Terran culture’, as she had put it. Currently, that meant teaching her about popular sports, such as basketball. It wasn’t going well, but still not as bad as when he tried to teach her about video games. She had thrown her makeshift controller with enough force that it had gone straight through Peter's seat as he drove aside. He winced at the memory.

“Here, you throw it like this-" Peter aimed for the ‘hoop', made from scrap metal and his own carefully woven webs. He was quite pleased with his latest creation. The vaguely ball shaped piece of metal that acted as his basketball flew neatly through the hoop. “A point for me. Now you try!”

He had simplified the game to avoid her ire.

Nebula studied the crumpled metal ball for a moment with an intensity that made Peter wonder if she could shoot lasers from her eyes. In one fluid, calculated motion she flung it at the hoop and scored perfectly.

“- And Nebula scores! I think you just won the entire game. I couldn’t even try to compete with that beautiful shot.” Peter’s grin spread across his face as he celebrated their success. Maybe this wasn’t a complete disaster.

“I... won? Is this a victory?”

“Totally.”

An almost imperceptible smile lit up her face, melting her usual cold, battle ready expression.

Pepper entered the main section of the ship just in time to catch the scene, before returning to her tablet like device with a small smile of her own. She looked much better than she had a few weeks ago, when they had finally toppled the Titan and left his planet in fear of being tracked by his loyal followers. Her grief hadn't been as debilitating as May’s had been after his uncle’s death, but she had been distant and reserved. She had busied herself organising the entire ship, stowing away the guardian’s treasures carefully and taking stock of the number of rations and fuel they had almost constantly. 

Peter had been able to climb up the wreckage of the giant doughnut and pilfer rations and medical supplies, hidden in small, hard to reach compartments. He had also found huge ion batteries, which he had been (barely) able to carry over to the ship. Man, having the proportional strength of a mutated spider was so useful. As a result, they now had just enough to last the journey to Xandar, the nearest habitable planet with people who could help.

They could only hope Thanos hadn’t obliterated it on his warpath. 

The days following the snap had passed in a daze. One by one, they would find a comfortable spot to fall into a restless sleep, only to be awoken by another in the midst of a night terror. This cycle had eventually slowed down to a manageable rate as they found their own ways of coping. 

They had grown close, even Nebula, during this time. Peter hadn’t even realised this until he had fallen asleep with his head on Nebula’s shoulder to the soft whirring of the mechanical pacemaker that kept her heart beating while he had been helping her repair her arm. When he woke up, he had realised that it had been hours, and Nebula had been frozen in the same position the whole time, terrified of waking him. It had been the most sleep he'd had in ages, as if their nightmares had cancelled each other out.

Pepper had thrown herself into the task of keeping them both alive while they finished repairing the ship. She'd been the one to tenderly pull Peter to the side to quietly stitch up the wounds that had been too deep to heal on their own. Nebula had been suspicious of both of them being so concerned about her, but Pepper had patched up the scratched blue and purple metal of her enhanced limbs, and Nebula had been much calmer afterwards.

  
Now, they were on a detour to a nearby asteroid mining colony (which were surprisingly lucrative and lavish temporary camps, like a holiday spot for space merchants), in hopes of finding the resources they desperately needed to sustain their current journey.

  
Their trust was tentative, but it was one of the few certainties they had while accelerating through space at neck braking speeds.

* * *

  
Two months into their journey to Xandar, Peter was folding left over insulation foil into origami hopping frogs for Nebula and Pepper to launch at each other. The sound of tinny 70’s hit songs filled the background, digital copies he had found while checking the ship’s alien software in an effort to understand it, and he was grateful for the reprieve from the silence they had been in before.

If someone had described this scene to him a year ago, he would have sent them to the nearest psychiatrist or movie producer.

As it was, the immediate trauma had abated, leaving them slightly less on the verge of mental breakdowns. At least, that was Peter’s case, he couldn’t speak for Pepper, and frankly he had no clue what Nebula’s thought processes involved. At times, he found himself checking his phone for a signal that wasn’t there, or he would look out the expansive windows looking for the sky, only to be met with darkness accompanied by the occasional stars poking through in pinpricks of light that caused his own eyes to prick with moisture.

He turned his thoughts away from the infinite ‘what if's’ and instead chose to focus on learning as much as possible about the ship, astrophysics, and the effects of long-term exposure to outer space. Planning for every contingency, plotting future missions, playing out scenario after scenario in his head. It wasn't too different from Decathlon practice. It made him feel both in control and as if he was on a collision course with doom at the same time. The feeling was almost familiar.

After all, he was no stranger to responsibility.

He pressed down on his own hopping frog, then released, watching as it went soaring across their ‘war table’, which was just where they went to form plans. He felt incredibly guilty about appropriating the Guardians of the Galaxy’s belongings for their own, but it had been a necessity and – as Nebula had so callously put it – it wasn’t as if the Guardians were alive enough to care.

“Touchdown! Mine definitely went furthest.” He called triumphantly. Nebula growled in his direction. Peter wasn’t even phased by her blood thirty tendencies by now.

“C'mon Nebs! Don’t make me go find a ruler. Do they even have rulers in space? Do you have any units of measurement that aren’t Light Years or Jumps?” Peter was genuinely curious. 

The questions then evolved into a discussion about the galactic equivalent of SI units and the complexity of space currency. His new reality made any Sci-Fi movies he had seen pale in comparison (except Star Wars, which would always hold a place in his heart). Ned would have freaked out about it with him while MJ rolled her eyes if he told them. If they still existed.

“-You can’t buy a pair of boots for 25 Units, but you can get an Ion Cannon for 30?” he questioned, disbelieving of such a concept. 

“Everybody in the galaxy trades those! Do you have any idea how hard it is to find someone who has a pair of boots that are sufficiently comfortable and the correct size? I’ve known Ravagers ready to kill for a pair of good boots!” 

“Why doesn’t anyone trade shoes?” interjected Pepper.

“... That is a very good question. I shall ask the next trader we find at sword point if I have to.” Nebula sounded oddly contemplative.

“Maybe ask them without the sword? I could hold the sword for you while you talk. Swordlessly.” 

“They would be more truthful under duress. My previous purpose was to destroy my father in revenge for the atrocities he committed against me and many billions of others. Now that I am free to find new purpose, I could learn the craft of boot making,” she mused, a darkly contemplative expression on her face.

Peter hadn’t the slightest idea of how to respond to that, and instead chose to launch yet another metallic frog.

Pepper stood suddenly, rushing out of the main section of the ship in the direction of her cabin, giving no indication of why. Peter spared a glance at Nebula, who looked equally perplexed, before following her. He could only hope nothing was off course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've just realized this is filler. I'm setting the stage. Simplifying to layman's terms.
> 
> Don't worry, it's only going down hill from here, and the rollercoaster has some twists up ahead. :)
> 
> Updates are erratic in both word count and timing. It's a process I haven't perfected yet.


	6. Disintegration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disintegration
> 
> /dɪsˌɪntɪˈɡreɪʃ(ə)n/  
> noun  
> 1.the process of losing cohesion or strength.  
> 2.the process of coming to pieces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um this ones a rough one.  
> TW: mentions of cancer, blood, a panic attack, and the possibility of a miscarrage ( it actually impossible bc i would neva)
> 
> Poor Pepper im sorry i love her really.
> 
> Petey gives his first clumsy Avenger Speech aww. 
> 
> Nebs is awkward bc i am. 
> 
> Enjoy this mess!

The first thing Peter’s eyes landed on was the blood spattering the alien approximation of a sink in Pepper’s cabin. 

The second thing he saw was the scarlet tinge to her lips as she coughed and spluttered.

The third was his own pale and horrified expression in the mirror over the large sink. 

Everything blurred around him as his vision zeroed in on the sight of Pepper gesturing for him to leave while continuing to hack up a fucking lung. 

“What...” Peter swallowed around the growing lump in his throat. “What’s wrong? Did something happen? Are you hurt?”

Pepper continued to wheeze in short, ceaseless bursts. Red painted her fingertips.

“Pepper! You – you’re scaring me. Should I get Nebula?” He didn’t get a reply. “ _Nebula_!”

“Is there a breach in the ship?” Nebula came tearing into the room as if an entire armada was after her, only to stop dead upon seeing them.

He faced her. “Something’s wrong with her. I _don’t know what to do._ ” His voice sounded fraught with despair.

“Bring her back to the main deck for a medical evaluation,” and with that, she turned on her heel and left.

He turned back to Pepper, who was now capable of coherent sentences.

“Peter. I’m fine. Stop causing a fuss, it’s nothing- ” Pepper managed to say before breaking into another coughing fit. She leaned against the sink and washed the blood off her hands and Peter watched as it mingled with the water before swirling down the drain in a hypnotic motion. He closed his hand around her wrist gently, and his voice began to verge on begging.

“Listen, Pepper, I know you haven’t been the same since Titan - no, you’re not ok - I just want to make sure you’re okay. Okay? Let us help.” Her first name still felt odd on his tongue, even after all that had happened.

Supporting her with his arm around her, he steered Pepper in the direction of the main deck, where she all but crumpled into her seat at the war table. Nebula had set up the medical supplies and was watching them with fathomless black eyes.

“You could have compromised us by neglecting to inform us of your deteriorating health.” Nebula stated emotionlessly, which meant that she was beyond pissed. Or concerned. He never could tell, but then he was never the best at social interactions on Earth either.

“I’m gonna go... get FRIDAY,” he suggested. He found the helmet of the Rescue armour on one of the containment units in Pepper’s cabin and snatched it up before returning to the others.

When he returned, the argument had only grown more heated.

“- I’m not going to let you waste medical supplies on me. This is only a bad case of chest infection; I've had much worse.” Pepper pointed out to Nebula, who couldn’t look more unimpressed if she tried.

“You are the one designated the task of protecting the boy. I do not know how to care for young Terrans. You are a necessary part of our team.” Nebulas points were coldly delivered, but Peter could tell that Nebula had grown fond of Pepper, often consulting her on most decisions instead of him.

“Guys?”

They both turned towards him expectantly. Peter sat the helmet down in front of Pepper’s seat, activating it.

“FRIDAY, please scan Pepper’s lungs and surrounding tissues for any damage or abnormalities. Diagnoses Protocol. Symptoms include – um, what’s the word – hemoptysis! Difficulty breathing, and it sounds as if there’s fluid in your chest cavity, now that I think about it.”

A blue barely visible light emanated from the helmet’s visor, moving across Pepper’s torso as it scanned. Nebula seemed temporarily satisfied, while Pepper squinted at him as if she was just now seeing him in a new light.

“What? I’m a nerd. My focus is biochemistry and medicine, but robotics is a hobby. Also, I figured that not even space can stop me from doing some homework,” he shrugged sheepishly.

“Scan complete. My data indicates that their are cancerous growths in Mrs. Boss’ left and right lungs. I believe it is Stage 2 small cell lung cancer. Their also appears to be significant changes to her uterus since my last scan.”

The room lapsed into stunned silence, and Peter could hear the sounds of his own hitched breathing. No. _No_.

Wait.

Peter began to mutter under his breath as puzzle pieces fell into place. “Uterus – but how – no wait...” He stood on shaky legs, approaching Pepper as if she were a bomb about to detonate at the slightest misstep. He leaned down and pressed his ear against her abdomen, listening intently. His hearing was good, but it didn’t detect sounds this faint from afar. Pepper slid her arms around him, startled, probably trying to comfort _him_.

There it was.

“Pep. You have two heart beats. I – I think you’re pregnant.” The heartbeat of the fetus was about as loud as the fluttering of a small butterfly, and just as delicate; it was almost drowned out by the louder beats of Pepper’s own.

She stood, stumbling back on unsteady legs as she reeled under the impact of both facts.

“How is – how? I didn’t even know. Why – oh fuck. We are in space. I have lung cancer. Fuck!” Pepper came undone, so far removed from her usual composed self that it terrified him.

Her breathing came in laboured gasps, eyes unfocused and brimming with tears, and Peter knew that these were the signs of a violent panic attack.

They had developed a sombre routine after one incident too many, which involved sitting down on the cold floor together while he recited the names of all the streets in Queens that he could remember, followed by listing assorted facts about the ship’s environment. Nebula would helpfully grumble about how they were wasting their oxygen, and that ‘Terrans are the most sensitive species I’ve ever encountered’.

Nebula was silent now, leaning against the wall with her head in her hands in a rare display of emotion.

“ – We set the gravitational equilibrium generator to simulate an acceleration of 9.81, since Nebs didn’t really have a preference. Oxygen levels are .7% lower than Earth’s average so that we can store some in reserve. Those ion batteries I found in the Doughnut have allowed us to travel for up to 6 months, but that’s only if we survive off the emergency ration plans I had Karen draw up.” His own voice grew hoarse as he rambled, but Pepper seemed to be calming if only marginally. Her breaths were once again interspersed with rattling coughs, each one sending sharp spikes of panic through his own heart.

Shivering, he wrapped his arm around her, drawing warmth from her deteriorating form.

What were they going to do? He was no doctor, he hadn’t even graduated high school! He was guessing off of random research papers he had read for fun, a first aid class he’d once taken, and medical jargon he had learned in order to heal himself after fights. He felt as if being 15 and swinging from skyscrapers was a distant dream, a world away from their current reality. He was in space, out of his element.

Shakily, he wet his dry lips and voiced the one thought that had been niggling at his conscience during this development.

“We need to use the warp drive.”

“We could blow the whole fuel reserves!” Nebula vehemently denied. “Jumping holds too great a risk with damaged ships.”

“She needs more than a couple of freeze dried nutrient bars and shitty recycled water! She. Needs. Help.” Peter paused then, an idea forming from the nebulous haze of his panic. “We have the infinity stones. We can rig one of ‘em – the space stone.”

“I would advise against that,” Friday said. “It appears that the cause of the cancer seems to have been prolonged exposure to the stones while they were activated. Their ability to manipulate space-time and the fundamental forces means that they trigger large amounts of ionising radiation around unstable elements. I detected radon in Titan’s moon debris, though I believed the suit to be secure enough. I’m sorry.” The AI sounded regretful.

Nebula crouched down on the other side of Pepper, who was staring glassily ahead, possibly in shock.

“Both you and the Earthling will survive this. We reach Xandar in two weeks, and I will get you medical care even if I have to aim an ion cannon at their heads. You... remind me of my sister, Gamora, because you are just as stubborn and strong willed.” Her voice was a soft whisper that echoed through her synthetic voice box, soothing.

He wondered if Nebula believed that 'Earthling' was term reserved for infant Terrans. It was oddly cute.

“I just – a baby? In _space_. I think this is uncharted waters for us.” Pepper ran her hands through her hair in a distressed motion which caused loose red curls to separate.

It was time to confront all that he had been avoiding since the Decimation. That they were possibly the last humans. That the planet they were heading toward could be nothing more than a tumble weed rolling through the black desert of space. That right now, all they had was each other.

He imagined May’s arms around him, and _breathed_.

“Pepper. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, or what state Xandar is gonna be in, or if it even still exists. We don’t even know if Earth still exists.” That was the truly terrifying part. He pushed on, “But we will try our hardest to keep both of you alive. Tony made us Avengers, and that means we're the last ones left to avenge humanity, the only way we can. By _living_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we got a spider, a cyborg, and a CEO stuck on a ship held together with duck tape and webbing. They are not ok. 
> 
> Heh. That sounds like a bad joke. This whole fic is a bad joke lmao ty 4 reading ♡
> 
> Lemme go find them 1 of those Baby on Board signs :)


	7. Variables

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Variable  
> /ˈvɛːrɪəb(ə)l/
> 
> an element, feature, or factor that is liable to vary or change. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They arrived yay!
> 
> This a terrible horrible no good, very bad  
> mess with no inherent value :/
> 
> I need a beta reader to adopt me pls O.O

“They have _artificial wombs_? That work for multiple different species? How well would they support a carbon based life form?” Peter was intrigued, underneath the nauseating worry he felt whenever he saw Pepper’s wan, strained features. She was snoring softly on a bunk nearby, which functioned as the ‘couch’.

“I myself have only heard of a few that are carbon based, and the success rate was not high enough for it to be a reliable alternative. It is mainly for ensuring the survival of more endangered species in space, and these systems can be found on most large spaceships. If there is one universal rule, it is that the diversity of life is precious and must be preserved.” Nebula’s features were more animated than usual as she explained. “Even the Ravagers know this, and many have life support on their command ships.”

“If only more people on Earth- um, Terra – agreed.”

“Not many choose to start wars for the sole purpose of hating a species, because some inhabit more than one planet. Instead, we fight over millennia old grudges, technology, and drugs. _Fucking drugs_.” The last part was angrily muttered, but Peter was strangely honoured that she was using Terran curses. 

Swearing was the one thing that never translated over her translator chip. 

“I guess we do that too. I used to fight against that stuff on a smaller scale. In the city I lived in,” his voice wavered, and his eyes felt that familiar phantom burn of tears that wouldn’t fall.

“Were you not considered a child by those you fought?”

“No. Nobody knew.” 

Nebula fell quiet. The silence that blanketed them wasn’t uncomfortable, not with the constant hum of the engines punctuated with Pepper’s faint snores providing a backdrop for their thoughts. 

Peter went back to stitching up a pair of trousers that were 4 sizes too large for him, made from unidentifiable fabric. He had alternated between wearing the spider suit he’d had on under the Iron Spider, and assorted clothing Nebula had thrown at him (he had initially refused to wear anything that had belonged to the Guardians, but necessity had won out). The repetitive motions of the needle and thread brought back memories of his first handmade suit.

“Could Earth really be... Gone?” He eventually asked.

“Not completely. Not even Thanos would annihilate an intelligent species completely. Not even one as primitive as yours. He was all about _balance_.” She spat with derision.

“Hey! Some of us are smart y’know... like Mr. Stark was.”

“Do you not include yourself in that statement? You are not as inefficient as you think you are.”

Peter didn’t reply, turning back to his work. Was he useful? He felt the opposite, and not for the first time, he wished Tony was in his place. Tony Stark would have been able to make something to contain the infinity stones instead of stuffing them into a pillowcase and dumping them in a gamma proof container. Tony Stark would have been able to help Pepper, and be there for her. Tony Stark was always a hero.

So what did that make him?

When his thoughts turned against him, he did what he always did in the end. He changed the topic.

“Nebs? My suit’s boots are kinda falling apart, and the Iron Spider’s aren’t exactly for every day. You knew anyone with boots in my shoe size? Its... wait, let me get a ruler. Do you have galactic shoe sizes?”

Nebula shot up to her feet and marched off without comment, leaving him feeling as if he’d said something wrong, even though her humour was much darker usually. A few moments later, she returned.

Two thuds in front of him made him look up. A pair of boots lay askew, which by themselves didn’t seem too different to those from Earth. The one thing that stood out to him however, was that they each had strangely shaped three inch heels at their soles.

“Um, nice shoes, but they’re not exactly what I’d usually wear.”

“They belonged to Gamora, a great warrior.”

“Thanks but...did all the guys have huge feet or something?

“They are the closest in measurement, and I assure you they would be more comfortable than a pair of shoes that are too large.” She crossed her arms over her chest, giving him an unimpressed look. “They are all terrain with built in suspension to allow you to walk in most environments without tripping and falling on your ass." 

Why was he hesitant to accept them anyway? He had definitely worn worse things, and it wasn’t as if anyone else would see him. In fact, they did look kind of cool. Nothing could be worse than the Hello Kitty PJs from the Ferry Incident.

“Thanks Nebs.”

She smirked. “Try them on.”

Nebula was right, they _were_ comfy.

* * *

᙭āᘉᕲᗩᖇ

XĀNDAR, planet B-3782

When Xandar's smooth marbled surface finally appeared, a beacon of hope against the backdrop of the Andromeda galaxy, the ship’s inhabitants let out and audible sigh of relief. The three of them darted about the Benatar in a flurry of activity, Pepper leading the organised chaos despite being told to take it easy. Orbital systems were engaged, snacks were distributed, and the most cheerful 70’s hits were blasted at the ship’s highest volume.

Peter prepared his own travel pack with the list Pepper had given him. Clothes and supplies were thrown in with haste, followed by an impressive array of improvised gadgets. They would all wear their armour on arrival, but as he held his older suit, felt as if he was missing something. 

“Droney?”

The tiny drone disengaged from the centre, all spidery mechanical legs and delicate circuitry. It hovered by his shoulder, and Peter tapped it fondly.

  
“Couldn’t forget you, could I? You have the most important job. When we leave the ship, I want you to go ahead and scout the area for hostiles, okay?”

The drone whirred in approval, settling down on his metal plated shoulder.

“Thanks, Droney.”

A yell came from the direction of the main deck. “Pete!”

“Just a second!” he replied.

Doing his best to imitate a small hurricane, he collected the rest of his (few) personal items, zipped up his pack, and rushed out. Pepper turned her scrutiny on him as he entered, zeroing in on the clothing and wires still hanging out of his pack. He shuffled it behind his back guiltily. 

She sighed, hold out her hand. “Give me that. Nebula said you and her made sure the orbital calculations were solid. Are we good?”

“Yep! We are gonna orbit a couple times to find the best place to land, y'know, so we don’t end up in the ocean. Then Nebs said we should look for a civilisation that’s still standing. Oh, and to avoid any rogues from Thanos' army. And to avoid any diseases ‘cause they might be worse for us. Also, some of the critters from the rural areas have a nasty sting, which is bad news because we have skin like ‘the weak membranes of a baby arithix’, whatever that is.”

“Lovely.” Her tone indicated it was anything but.

“Are you going to be ok? We gave you a higher oxygen supply just in case, and FRIDAY is monitoring your vitals. You gotta tell us if you feel worse, alright?” 

“Peter,” she sighed as she set down the pack, pulling him towards her in an embrace. “I'm going to be just _fine_ , you’re making yourself sick with worry. I’ll tell you, ok? I promise.”

“I’ll fix this. I won’t let you get hurt.” He mumbled into her shoulder.

“Oh, sweetheart. You let me worry about that, it’s not your responsibility. I should be looking after _you_.” She sounded regretful, tightening her hold on him as if he would get swept away the second she let him go. It struck Peter, not for the first time, that both of them had most likely lost everyone they cared about, leaving them behind to hold each other together.

“I can look after myself.” He whispered into the silence.

“I know you can.” Pepper pressed a kiss onto his forehead.

Nebula resurfaced from the engine room, staring at them with obsidian eyes that spoke volumes of her own loss. Peter stretched an arm in her direction in invitation. She approached them uncertainly. Peter clasped her hand, gently integrating her into their hug.

“We’re here.” 

* * *

A desolate wasteland was the sight that greeted them as they left the ship, guns ablaze. The sky was a bluish purple, casting an eerie tone on the ruins that surrounded the city limits. The city they had chosen to land near had showed promising signs of life, which either meant it was overrun with hostiles or that the Xandarians had survived the near decimation of their planet.

Nebula had told them that it wasn’t the first time the planet had been invaded, and it wouldn’t be the last either. Xandar was home to many great technologies, and their advancements had allowed them to improve standards of living across the galaxy, as well as develop the most ruthless weapons. 

As he stared at the gaping craters and unidentifiable corpses, he found little resemblance to the places Nebula had described. The rust coloured dirt scattered into the wind behind them, and the surroundings were devoid of any plant life.

“Did we take a wrong turn?” he asked, half joking.

Nebula inhaled deeply. “Nope. This is our stop. For now, anyway.”

“This can’t be it. I distinctly remember you describing it as a utopia. This looks like a dystopia that went through at least three apocalypses.”

“That’ll be Thanos' army.”

Pepper intervened. “Is it safe to remove our helmets? The readings look alright to me.”

“The atmosphere is more than enough for us, what I’m worried about is radiation. We don't fully understand these weapons or know if Thanos used a stone here.” Peter explained. “You can’t remove yours.”

“What about you?” 

“Don’t worry about me. My own DNA is radioactive, just not enough to be harmful, and Nebs is... Nebs. We are angry particle proof.”

Peter retracted his helmet, allowing him to tentatively breath in. The air tasted strange, but it wasn’t exactly horrible, just different. The overlapping smell of the battlefield, on the other hand, made him want to turn back around.

“Smells like old Cheetos. Trust me, it’s better with the helmet.”

“What are those?” Nebula questioned irritated.

“A healthy snack.”

“Pete!” Pepper chuckled

Nebula sighed. “I could kill for a Yaro root right now.”

One of the suns was briefly blotted out by an unidentified flying object, and Peter squinted at it in disbelief. 

“What. Is That?”

“A Space Whale,” gasped Pepper. “They were at the invasion of New York!”

Peter snorted with mirth. “I’m sorry, a ‘Space Whale’? That’s amazing. Wow. Who named them?”

“Tony did.”

“Oh.” Peter sobered. “Sounds like he did.”

“At least he didn’t call Thanos' ships ‘Doughnuts’,” she huffed. “That one’s on me.”

“What are those?” grumbled Nebula, trying her best to hide her confusion.

“An object shaped like a torus with advanced nutritional properties.” Peter deadpanned.

Pepper let out a genuine bout of laughter at that at that, and the sound brightened the dark atmosphere around them. She stopped before she started coughing again.

He turned back to stare at the emaciated creature, which was now drifting away from them.

“Let’s go, before Moby Dick decides we look like food.” He told Nebula.

“Who the _xyhbïhk_ is that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Best believe all Nebs alien swear words are keyboard smashes :)
> 
> Theres no room for heteronormativity in space. Ik im projecting bc i want Gamoras boots <3


	8. Pressure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pressure  
> /ˈprɛʃə/  
> noun  
> continuous physical force exerted on or against an object by something in contact with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im posting this in a delirious sleep deprived state so idek but enjoy! We get to meet my version of Carol who is just Tired™.
> 
> Note: everyone has a translator chip except Peter and Pepper, so theres no language barrier :) Oh and they couldn't land their ship closer bc it might have been shot down.

ᑘᘉᓰᕲᘿᘉᖶᓰᖴᓰᘿᕲ, ᖽᐸᘉᓍᘺᕼᘿᖇᘿ

KNOWHERE, unidentified coordinates [input]

Many quadrants away, in a galaxy long lost in obscurity, a comet of golden light was weaving through a forgotten star system on search of answers.

Back on her home world, planet C-53-Terra, better known to the Elder Realms as Midgard, she had been named Carol Danvers. There, she had been revered as a hero and given the title Captain Marvel.

Elsewhere, in the interstellar medium where travellers and pirates traversed the endless depths, she was known as Vers. A Living Star, capable of crossing the universe with little regard to space-time, with the ability to emit photons with a single breath.

The light was a tune made up of frequencies she danced to in dazzling displays of ultraviolet and infrared. Communication was possible by just a thought, and the magnetic fields of great planets parted in her presence. Not many knew the age of this ethereal being, and fewer dared to ask.

L’åraatu, a humble bartender in unnamed coordinates, had been told this tale at a young age, but never once had they thought it would hold truth. Yet here they were, in the sector that was home to Knowhere, being interrogated by this same being.

“Do you know the whereabouts of the Asgardian known as Brünnhilde? She is of the Valkyrie race, and the last known person to see the Asgardian genocide,” asked the Star.

“ I don’t – I mean, what’d she look like, then?” their voice shook slightly, yet remained clear. They came from a long line of warriors, and knew that great courage lived on in their blood.

“She was dressed for battle, with white facial marks that denoted her rank and lineage.” She spoke ordinarily enough, and sounded almost drained. “She was probably drunk, too.”

“We haven’t seen much business since the Great Loss. Before, though? She came in a couple times and ordered enough to intoxicate a Chitauri Leviathan,” they snorted. “Mentioned wanting to get even drunker on Krylor. Said it was more peaceful there.”

“Krylor, ay? Thanks,” she said gratefully, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms. 

“No problem. Hey, is it true that you’re older than the Celestials?” they asked. Perhaps some myths did have a sliver of truth to them, despite wishful thinking.

She smirked then, eyes alight with mischief.

“Never ask a woman her age,” she replied, before turning to leave in a shower of beaming photons that left after images in their wake. 

“Huh,” L’åraatu shrugged, returning to the polishing cloth and drink-vessels. Whoever she was, it didn’t do to dwell, since no amount of pondering would get their work done.

They recalled a memory, a song sung by the elders of their small tribe in an ancient tongue, long before they had ventured onward in search of their self. Here, under the dingy artificial lights of the deep space bar, they hummed the ageless song of hope. 

Maybe, just maybe, the lives that had been taken would return.

For even in the darkest reaches of the cosmos, starlight can survive, and from its warmth may yet form life anew. 

~

The path to the surviving metropolis was long and treacherous, winding towards towering constructs in the distance that vaguely resembled the skyscrapers of Terra. Few of their lights were on, and those that were flickered fleetingly, giving the city an impression of impermanence.

Treading cautiously, they approached, hoping for sanctuary yet assuming the worst. Peter was forever glancing over his shoulder with careful darting steps, the robotic extra limbs of the Iron Spider extended. Never straying far from the others.

He hopped over another discarded weapon, coated with an unknown, congealed substance. Shivering, he drew closer to Pepper’s side as they trailed behind Nebula, who lead the way. He had seen destruction at this level before only once in his life.

The first time aliens had filled their skies at the Battle of New York, he had been just 10 years old. Decades, he mused, were miniscule increments on the grand scale of time, and he had yet to reach his second. Would he? He didn’t want to calculate his own chances of survival, since that meant acknowledging that Pepper’s was much lower relative to his. _Nope, not thinking about it._

Back then, he had seen Chaos in all of its horror, but hidden under the old coffee table watching with wide eyes, he hadn’t understood. Their apartment had been far enough away to be left standing, left with only shattered windows as evidence.

Here, unable to look away from the strewn corpses and torn land, he longed for that naiveté. The enormity of it all, a concept which had once lingered at the edges of his frayed conscience, now struck him with the force of an earthquake. It rattled his foundations to their core, leaving him feeling lost, displaced, fractured.

There was no coffee table strong enough to shelter against the crushing pressure of war.

A tap on his armoured back led him to whirl around with his arms extended, convinced that an attacker was upon him. His spike in heartrate triggered the Instant Kill protocol, and with precision he aimed at – 

“Droney?”

He was answered with a cheerful whir. 

“Terrifying,” snorted Nebula, raising her left brow and the delicate electronics attached to it. “No sudden movements, it can detect fear.”

Pepper deactivated her repulsors, resting a hand over her audibly beating heart.

“Honestly Peter! I thought your senses picked up an _actual_ threat!” Pepper punctuated her exclamations with worrying fits of coughing muffled by her helmet. Peter went to her side and propped her up, offering what comfort he could from the barrier of metal between them.

“Sorry! It’s just – sometimes it’s a hair trigger reaction? Like it varies in accuracy depending on the situation? It’s hard to explain.” 

Nebula halted his rambling. “Care to explain the flying device? You seem familiar with it.” 

“Droney is... an extension of Karen, I guess. He helps with my recon missions,” he nodded. “Y’know, surveillance, sample collecting, hacking. What did you find for us, Drones?”

“The east entrance to the city is 1.2 miles ahead,” informed Karen, projecting her voice beyond his suit. “No hostiles within a 30 mile radius from the ship were detected. You may encounter guards, multiple species based on descriptions. Samples show radiation levels to be 2% higher than Earth’s average.”

“Thanks lil guy.”

Droney rested on the curls of his hair.

“Adorable.” Nebula only sounded slightly sarcastic.

~

When they reached the east entrance, which could only be described as more organised pieces of rubble with guards standing sentry at each side, they were greeted with the business ends of their various weapons. Some were human-like, while others had red, blue or green coloured skin with delicate markings and patterns.

“Relax boys, we’re not here to cause trouble.” Nebula sounded unfazed, but by now Peter could detect an undercurrent of unease.

“It’s the daughter of Thanos! How dare you approach our borders after – after what he did,” a guard responded viciously. The others loudly voiced similar sentiments.

They all seemed rather trigger-happy, and Peter honestly couldn’t blame them. He made to back away, but was stopped by Pepper’s firm grip on his arm. She raised her hoarse voice above the din, and the unfamiliar tones of English caused them to fall silent. 

“We are refugees from Terra, unable to return to our home galaxy with our damaged ship. Nebula helped us defeat Thanos, and she has been travelling with us. We humbly request aid, and offer aid to your people too, if you require it.”

Peter was in awe at the way she commanded respect with her ‘CEO addressing the masses’ no-nonsense tone. He deactivated his helmet to help prove her point. 

“Hi – Hello. Um, greetings? It’s nice to meet you.” He wanted to face palm at his own clumsy speech. What was that? “I’m Peter, and this is- ”

“Virginia Potts, but you can call me Pepper.”

The guards seemed at a loss, and their confusion would have been hilarious in any other situation. A guard, who was possibly the leader, lowered his weapon and the rest followed suit. 

“Right. Follow me, and no funny business.”

They followed the guard with Nebula between their procession to avoid further ire, escorted by four other sentries.

What lay within the inner walls of the city was a sight better, but just barely. People with old wounds and missing limbs lay on makeshift stretchers and beds, being tended to by civilians clad in threadbare fabrics.

Most had skin in red jewel tones covered in faint intricate patterns, but just as many had a more human appearance, and some exhibited traits from both. He knew these to be Krylorians and Xandarians respectively, sister races who had been living together harmoniously for more than a millennium, according to Nebula’s vast well of knowledge. 

They were led to a large building made from gleaming metals and reflective panels, surrounded by yet more guards who seemed slightly more at ease. Low murmured words were exchanged as they were led to a long hallway with a vaulted ceiling, lit with black light which illuminated walls covered in glowing geometric designs and flowing characters that made up words in a language he didn’t recognise.

Peter stepped into the hallway after their escorts, eager to study the walls in closer detail. The uniforms the guards wore glowed with similar symbols, but what caught his attention was the way the patterns on the faces and arms of those with Krylorian descent were illuminated, revealing a stunning cascade of lilac markings. 

“Peter!”

Turning towards the sound of Pepper’s panicked call, he was met with stunned gazes and gaping expressions. Pepper was vaguely gesturing to him.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay? Is the baby alright? What – what are you looking at...?”

“I did not know Terrans could do that.”

“Humans don’t do that.” Pepper voice was eerily calm, which instantly put him on edge. “Peter, I don’t want to scare you, but you're kind of...bright.”

“Bright?” he echoed. He tapped at his armour, deactivating it, so that he was left in his borrowed clothes and web shooters which contained the nanites. He looked down at his hands.

What he saw left him feeling like he was in a twisted type of dream. Elaborate winding lines of luminous cyan and blues completely covered the backs of his hands and arms, so that little of his normal skin could be seen.

“ _What the fuck_?” he whispered to himself. “That’s it, I’ve really lost it. I've finally started that downwards spiral into insanity. This is – this is insane! Are you seeing this? Karen, am I hallucinating?"

Karen, bless her motherboard, answered his question.

“It appears that your cells can absorb UV light and emit it in the visible spectrum. This phenomenon can be observed in most species of spiders.”

“That’s just great.”

The leader of the guards turned his assessing gaze away from him to the communication device attached to his wrist.

“Change of plans. The Queen of Krylor is requesting an audience with our new...guests. Particularly, the Terran who bears the traces of luminosity.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was the build up to a whole domino effect of events! Feedback and kudos are deeply appreciated too ♡
> 
> Next we meet the queen...


	9. Dispersion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dispersion  
> /dɪˈspəːʃ(ə)n/
> 
> noun  
> 1.the action or process of distributing things or people over a wide area.  
> 2.PHYSICS  
> the separation of white light into colours or of any radiation according to wavelength.

Voices that varied from rumbles to chittering reached his hearing, strange syllables that never failed to remind him how far he was from his home planet.

Peter plucked out a strand of his hair. Yep, that was just as absurdly neon as the rest of him.

Cyan blue florescent lines were still visible on his skin, like scars that could have resulted from a lightning strike, calling the attention of every passer-by’s eye. He felt as if he was being branded by their stares, and quickly turned his attention to his crewmates.

Peter knew that Pepper was in no state to travel any further than she already had. Hopefully, Xandar’s medical technology would be enough to save her. Save both of them, he corrected himself, glancing at her large steadily growing bump, covered in royal blue armour that had adjusted itself to her dimensions.

It was still weird to think about, as well as vaguely terrifying. She would be the first human to have a baby on a different planet, away from any doctors that could have helped her. The baby was Tony’s too, which gave him a whole new set of feelings he couldn’t untangle, but there was definitely panic somewhere in the mix. What if something went wrong? What if the cancer reached the baby? What if the gravity here was too low? He had reviewed the scans and done rough calculations before concluding that these probably wouldn’t have an effect, but he still worried. What if something happened to Pepper? What would he do without the last – dare he say – parental figure he had? Who would raise her child? He was clueless, and while he loved Nebula, he absolutely would not trust her with a baby for extended periods of time.

Speaking of Nebula, she was currently grilling the guards for information on what had happened before they arrived. Those poor guards. Peter almost felt sorry for them.

Eventually, they reached a large circular opening in the wall ahead, covered by drapes which almost seemed to ripple under a non existent breeze, looking more like a brightly coloured waterfall. The guard stepped through, then held the drapes open, which allowed him to see the even darker interior, with yet more radiant hieroglyphs etched into the walls. 

Stepping through, his eyes immediately landed on a being who could only be the Queen of Krylor. Her eyes were backlit like a cat and similarly shaped, set into a petite face the colour of Earth’s setting sun. Her cheek bones and forehead were lined with small glowing ridges that trailed up into her dark hairline, from which protruded two antler-like horns, draped with chains of precious metals and various jewels. Whorls of luminous lilac pigment were imbedded in her skin as if they had been painted there, so unlike Peter’s own jagged, fracture-like lines of blue. She wore little in the way of clothing; only a single length of that same shimmering drapery wrapped around her form and hung from one of her arms, trailing on the floor behind her as she crossed the room towards them with delicate darting steps.

By far, she was the most organic entity he had seen since they first landed among the rubble of broken machinery.

Inquisitive eyes surveyed the newcomers with interest, and as she turned her head the jewels along her dark antlers rang like small wind chimes. 

“Zenthinue,” she formally greeted them, with a soft, airy voice that sounded simultaneously young and brimming with an ancient wisdom that spoke of unending patience. “I am Letuelln, Queen of the ruling nation of Krylorīs. I am here to lead in the place of Xandar’s previous leader, may she rest amongst the brightest stars.”

Pepper stepped forward, calm and composed, yet swaying as if she would rather be laying down. “We are glad to meet you, your highness. My name is Pepper Potts, and this is Peter Parker. We came here seeking refuge, and we would be incredibly grateful if you let us stay.”

Peter was pretty sure that her armour played a large factor in keeping her upright at this point.

“I must admit, I have not met a Terran in quite a long time. You are not the typical travellers, are you? You are bearing a child, and have been for quite some time.” The queen turned to Peter, scrutinising him. “You are not fully grown, or fully Terran. An odd pair indeed, and arriving at such a dire time, along with the daughter of Thanos herself?”

“I am no daughter of that monster!” Nebula spat. “I am the one who rendered him headless with the aid of these Terrans on the planet Titan. Send your people to find his remains if you doubt me.”

The queen laughed. “Calm yourself, Nebula. We heard news of his demise ages ago, and we found proof that you had been there. Now I know the brave souls that fought with you. I would like to award such bravery on behalf of the survivors of Xandar, as well as my own people. I’m afraid there may not be much I could give you at this moment in time.”

“Boots,” said Nebula, who had likely never heard of a verbal filter in her life. “I would like some boots.”

“We only require a place to stay, your majesty, but thank you,” Pepper informed her.

“Actually, if – if you don’t mind, could I use a lab, or a workshop? Pepper needs medical help too, she has cancer.” Peter added. He glanced away nervously, before launching into an explanation. “If I could access some medical technology, especially cancer treatments and those incubators for premature births, I could help her.” He paused, vaguely hopeful. “Please tell me you have the cure for cancer.” The queen shook her head, and he deflated. “I can – I mean I’m not bad at research, and you could keep anything I make afterwards. We’d just really appreciate some resources. Please.”

“Ah. Units, I could have given you. But access to our technologies? There will be many upset by strangers using our advancements.” Letuelln sounded thoughtful. “However, if they saw you in a position of trust, they may warm up to the idea faster. They do acknowledge you as a hero. A position in my court, perhaps. A valuable asset indeed, skilled enough to have brought down a Titan at a tender age, not to mention your unique...physiology.” She wrinkled her tiny nose at him, as if she found him to be a curiosity she couldn’t understand.

It reminded Peter of the way a child would scrutinise a particularly strange frog. He shrunk under her gaze once more, trying to ignore Nebula’s snickers.

“You mean a job? Um, sure. As long as I get to research and treat Pepper.”

“Of course. How does cup bearer and guard of the Queen during interplanetary relations sound?”

Peter looked worriedly towards Nebula and Pepper for help, but he was met with a disinterested gaze and a yawn respectively. He couldn’t blame them either, he too was exhausted by the eventful day. 

“I can do that, your highness.”

Letuelln grinned at him, looking like the cat that caught the canary. “Cool. You will have your own quarters here at the Sovereign Kylorix Outreach. Just so that you are within sight. Oh, you are going to make a fine addition to the court. Wait until they see you!”

“Wait. I’m staying here?” Peter asked, panicked.

“You want access to our facilities, don’t you? It will also free up cramped space on whatever ship you flew in with.” 

Pepper spoke up, sounding worse than ever, like she was two steps away from passing out. “We have to get the ship within city limits and secured. Could you , Nebula? I have to stay with Pete.”

“So he _is_ your child,” amusement coloured the queen’s tone.

“He’s as good as mine, yes, and I’m not leaving him overnight at a planet we just landed on by himself. Your Highness.” Pepper huffed.

Peter felt his ears go red, not knowing whether to cry or hug her. Why must badass adults always adopt him, knowing that it would likely end in tragedy? Parker luck was a bitch.

“No need for your formal titles, but if you must complement me, ‘brightest of beings’, ‘your radiance’, or even, ‘your brilliance’ would work well.” She giggled and chimed, clearly having the time of her life at their expense. “I’ll arrange a living-place for both of you then, if you insist. The guards will escort you to the food-consumption-place after you wake.”

Just like that, she turned away, walked back to the little bench she had been near, sat down and began tapping away at her wrist, which displayed a holographic screen of text.

They all stepped back out of the chamber, looking at each other, then at the guard.

Nebula rolled her eyes, muttering “20th cycles, right? So reliant on their holodecks and sound-ear-jewellery.”

The guard, who Peter had now dubbed Stan in his head, asked, “Aren’t you only slightly older by a few intervals.”

“I have lived many life times, filled with such suffering and atrocities you would soil yourself at the mere thought of them,” she echo-y growled back, causing Stan to shuffle away, scared shitless.

Satisfied, she turned to them. “Careful, spiderling, I will return tomorrow. Make sure Pepper is well adjusted.”

Nebula ruffled his hair, dislodging Droney from where he had powered down, then disappeared down the passage without guidance.

~

The ‘living-place’ Stan the green man led them to was similar to a hotel suit. On another planet. That looked like it had been hit by a small tornado.

Stan winced at the various broken items on the floor. “Aftershocks from the secondary attacks. We had other priorities. The young Queen only arrived this blue-sun-orbit, after Thanos was confirmed to be dead. She brought troops and other helpful people, but it’s not enough. Nearly a third of the planet is irreparable, and the rest isn’t much better.”

“It’s lovely,” said Pepper, who brushed debris off of the nearest bed-couch looking thing, disengaged her suit, and collapsed into a boneless pile, eyes shut.

 _Mood_ , thought Peter.

Stan helpfully showed him where all the stuff was before making a hasty retreat.

Sleepily, he located some fabric that looked like it could be a blanket, or drapery, or a weird toga thing. He covered Pepper with it, tucking it around her shoulder like he had done so many times before for May, after long night shifts at the hospital.

He claimed another blanket for himself, crawled onto the corner of the ceiling closest to her, and cocooned himself with a few webs for good measure.

He slept like a rock, dreamless and oblivious, the room bathed in his own faint blue light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. Its me. The idiot to end all idiots. 
> 
> I... have many exams. Which i will probably fail, but i must cram just in case i dont. I wrote this after a late night study bender due to my endless guilt from not updating.
> 
> No sleep. This flip flops between making a stab at sounding distinguished, and 'welcome to chillis'
> 
> *zombie shuffles away to nom old crisps*

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Luminosity (art)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25997782) by [orphan_account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account)




End file.
